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Sensational farewell: Pastor Otterbach is retiring!
Pastor Ralf Otterbach says goodbye after 34 years of service in the Evangelical Church. Farewell service on June 22, 2025.
Sensational farewell: Pastor Otterbach is retiring!
Last Sunday, June 22, 2025, a moving farewell service for Pastor Ralf Otterbach took place in the Niedereggenen Evangelical Church. After 34 years of service, 15 of which he worked in the Evangelical Church of Exgeneral and Feldberg, the pastor has now retired. The atmosphere was characterized by great gratitude, as [ekbh.de](https://www.ekbh.de/index.php/aktuelles/ Feierliche-verabschiedung-von-pfarrer-ralf-otterbach-den-ruhestand) reports.
At the beginning of his last sermon, Otterbach surprised people with a humorous note by comparing buying butter cake to a boring sermon. “The church is sometimes rhubarb cake, sometimes butter cake,” he said with a smile. God himself is always the butter cake, even often the tempting Black Forest cake, he continued, and he encouraged believers to “taste and see how kind the Lord is.”verlagshaus-jaumann.de
A last day of school and new paths
Dean Schmid-Hornisch gave a heartfelt eulogy and quoted the outgoing pastor: “When something new begins, you should clear the way for it.” Otterbach's decision to move to Witten in the Ruhr area, where he will live with one of his daughters, reflects this new phase of life that he is now entering. The parish now has to wait for a successor. Pastor Bettina von Kienle will provide representation during the vacancy.
After the service, the numerous guests were invited to personally say goodbye to Otterbach at a champagne reception. This not only offered the opportunity to share memories, but also a place for many to say thank you for the pastor's many years of support and commitment to the community.
Honor traditional farewell
The farewells of pastors in the United Methodist Church, as described on emk-gottesdienst.org, often include a ritual form of accompaniment. However, this does not replace the personal farewell at the last place of work, which in this case was particularly impressive and warm. Otterbach was able to celebrate his retirement with personal blessings, a presentation of the retirement certificate and a special blessing for his new phase of life.
The warm words and the atmospheric celebration make it clear that Pastor Ralf Otterbach was not only a good preacher, but also a person with a special knack for community and cohesion. He will continue to be remembered by the community and his message of God's kindness will surely resonate in the hearts of believers.